Ancient Pines
by LadyOfWinds
Summary: Vincent and his father are of an old demon race. Tired of being locked up Vincent decides to secretly visit a nearby village one night. What he encounters there could change his whole life, and not necessarily for the better. AU, Valenwind.
1. Chapter I

_Disclaimer: None is mine except for the plot._

Vincent sat on one of the window benches in the library of the giant mansion he called home. He had on leg pulled up, chin resting atop his knee as he stared out the window. It was how he had, unconsciously, started spending more and more time, seated in the library and staring at the village that resided outside the woods. He closed his ruby eyes and let his head fall back against the wall.

He hated being trapped inside the large mansion. The only residents being himself and his father, Grimoire. He understood that his father wanted to keep him safe, yet at the same time he just wanted to know what life outside the mansion was like.

Grimoire Valentine and his son Vincent Valentine were of an ancient race of powerful demons. Few were left of them, especially ones as powerful and with blood as pure as them. Most likely they were the only real purebloods left on Gaia.

Contrary to popular belief they were a gentle race, preferring to hide in the shadows rather than attacking people for the sole reason that they were capable of doing so. They had been happy to live undisturbed and go about their own business. Until a group of youngster decided that, since they were better and more powerful than humans, they should rule the planet and every mortal should be no more than a slave. Due to these few young demons, the humans regarded them as a great evil that had to be destroyed. Fanatic demon hunts were the result. The few that managed to survive hid themselves far away from humanity.

This was the main reason Grimoire didn't want his son to leave the mansion. If any of the townspeople would find out just what they were they would most likely be murdered. That was not a fate Grimoire wanted to befall his only child.

Vincent watched as the sun sank behind the horizon, shadows claiming the village bit by bit. All he wanted was to have a look. See how life outside the mansion would be. Maybe even fantasize that one day, he might be able to live like that as well. No more hiding in the shadows, no more cold stone hallways and musty rooms filled with dust and forgotten treasures. It was an idle fantasy, that he knew, but it was one he enjoyed. It took his mind off of his dull and dreary life, hollered up in the big, old stone keep. If only he hadn't been born a demon.

He had never known friendship, had never really been into contact with anyone beside his father. His mother having passed away shortly after she had given birth. He had read about matters as friendship, even love, but didn't have any real understanding of what exactly they meant. What it represented. And it were exactly those tales and concepts that made Vincent feel as if there was a large hole inside him. He knew he could most likely never have any of those things, experience them, and it haunted him. It was a feeling akin to that of realizing you had lost something important, only, he had never _had _anything to loose.

He stood up after the last rays of sunlight had faded, red eyes glowing softly in the dark. He had made up his mind.

After wandering through the dark halls for a bit Vincent made his way over to the part of the mansion where he knew his father would be. The lower level of the house had been transformed into a big laboratory with an equally as big adjoined study. Grimoire would spend day after day in there, often forgetting to eat and or sleep. Despite being a pureblood demon who could function without food or sleep quite a while, they were still basic needs. Therefor Vincent would often check on his father whenever he was having one of his moments, having to prove some theory.

Vincent didn't really understand his father's fascination for science. In fact, they didn't really had all that much in common, beside their looks, and of course their fascination for guns. Grimoire had learned his son how to handle all sorts of guns from a very young age. Ever since the age of seven he had never missed a target.

A small smile graced his stoic features when he thought about how his father had one day handed him his favourite gun, Cerberus. Vincent had been a little intimidated by the weight and size of the triple-barrelled gun. Grimoire had stood behind him, arms around his little body as he helped him into the right position, clasping big, calloused hands over Vincent's small ones. The recoil of the mighty gun had surprised him, but not enough to wipe the big smile off his face. Holding a gun as old and powerful as Cerberus, it had felt amazing.

He shook his head softly to dismiss the happy memory as he continued on his way. He stopped briefly in the kitchen to make his father a cup of tea and something to eat. The big, heavy wooden doors that lead to Grimoire's study were slightly ajar. Vincent opened them sore more, stepping inside and placing the food and tea on the big, paper covered desk. Making sure he hadn't accidently dropped any of the papers he walked into the giant laboratory.

Most of the laboratory's equipment was a little out of date, but no so much as to make it Grimoire too hard to pursue his various theories. It's to be expected, really. Vincent's father was more than a little paranoid about people finding out about what he and Vincent truly were. So, going out to buy the most recent technology was a little difficult.

Vincent made his way over to his father who stood hunched over in front of a table filled with test tubes, erlenmeyer flasks, glass bottles, papers and something distilling through a liebich cooler. Other experiments were running in other parts of the room and Grimoire was hurrying from one to another, making sure everything went well and writing things down when necessary.

"Father." Vincent said, making his father aware of his presence. He knew better than to just walk up to Grimoire, who would often be so engrossed in one of his experiments that he would fail to notice anything else. Vincent had learned that the hard way. Getting a full beaker of acid spilled over his left arm had _not_ been a pleasant experience. Now he knew never, _ever_ to startle Grimoire Valentine again when he was working.

His father being a scientist had been a blessing in disguise. The nerves in his arm had been too damaged to ever be able to fully function again. Therefore, Grimoire had made his son a brass gauntlet. It had taken lots of time and hard work but with the gauntlet on Vincent was able to use his arm normally again.

"In a minute, Vincent." Grimoire replied after a few moments, distraction clear in his voice. He made a few changes on something Vincent had absolutely no idea what it was or did. Grimoire stood back for a few moments, looking at the thing and at last pleased with what he saw turned to face his son. "Yes?"

"I brought you some tea and something to eat. I've put it on your desk." Vincent gave his father a small smile. Despite having almost nothing in common and his overprotectiveness of him he was very fond of the man. Grimoire turned briefly to look out of the window. "Been up here all day again, haven't I?" He said at seeing the star littered sky. "Luckily I've got you to make sure I don't just drop dead." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "I wouldn't know what to do without you, Vincent."

Vincent kissed his father's cheek, smiling as well. " Don't let it get cold." Grimoire nodded. "I'll try." Knowing his father, he would most likely just continue whatever it was he had been busy with and only remember the food and tea when he would come into the study to get something or put some papers away. Vincent shook his head softly. He closed the heavy doors and made his way upstairs towards his own room.

Once there he walked over to one of the big windows and looked down at the village. It looked devoid of life. The only thing indicating that there were people living there was the street lightning. Good. Vincent took a piece of red fabric from a dresser and wrapped in around his head in an attempt to keep his heavy, black mane out of his eyes. Next he strapped his holster to his thigh. The woods surrounding the mansion were filled with all sorts of creatures, most of them active after dark. He picked up Cerberus, looking the treasured gun over with a skilful eye before putting it in the holster. The gun was a family heirloom. It had been passed down from father to son for many, many generations.

Last came his crimson cloak, which he elegantly swung over his shoulders, nimble fingers quickly closing a few of the buckles.

Ready at last he made his way out of the house and into the thick, ominous looking forest. He drew a deep breath, relishing in the night air. It felt good to be out of that old, stone keep. Made him feel less like a caged animal.

As he walked through the forest Vincent made sure to stay unnoticed by anything possibly dangerous. It was a pretty long walk, at least half an hour, but Vincent enjoyed every moment of it. He had never been so far away from the mansion. A whole new world opened itself to him. When he finally reached the edge of the forest he hid in the shadows of some trees. Making sure no one was out. It wouldn't do if he were to be seen. People would most likely question him on who he was, where he came from and what he was doing, sneaking around in their village in the middle of the night.

Declaring the coast clear Vincent emerged from the shadows. A light breeze caused his cloak and hair to flutter lightly, ruby eyes glowing ever so lightly. He made sure to stay hidden inside the shadows as much as possible as he wandered about the village. When he was on his way back he noticed a big hangar, it's door ajar. He peered around, making sure no one was around. It wouldn't hurt to look, would it? And the door was open, so it wasn't like he was breaking in. A combination of scents assaulted his sensitive nose as he approached. There were various smells but the most dominant ones were of motor oil and paint.

Having reached the hangar he peeked inside through the opened door. A normal human being wouldn't have been able to see a thing but Vincent could make out the forms of large vehicles of some sort, as well as several parts and other things.

He silently made his way inside. Careful as not to accidentally break something Vincent made his way over to a small aircraft, it's lettering reading 'Tiny Bronco'. He wondered at the little plane, having only read about them until he caught sight of the massive craft in the centre of the hangar. He immediately forgot about the Bronco and walked over to the giant airship. Eyes wide and mouth slightly agape he walked around and underneath the ship. It appeared it was named 'Highwind' judging from the red lettering on the side.

From descriptions in books he had known that airships often had massive dimensions but actually seeing one made it look even bigger. He had never thought he would ever see an actual airship, not whilst hollered up in the mansion he called home.

Too engrossed with the ship Vincent failed to notice the presence of another person. "She's a real beauty, isn't she?"

Vincent jumped in surprise, turning quickly and right hand going for Cerberus. Red eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the silhouette of a man. Almost immediately after a wave of panic hit him. He had been seen, been found out. His eyes shifted from the man to the door and back again. Too far. He was practically at the end of the massive hangar. Damn.

"Sorry, didn't mean to spook ya." The man said, light amusement resounding through his voice as he took a few steps towards a wall and flicked on a light switch. Vincent briefly closed his eyes in pain as the bright, artificial light filled the hangar. When he could see clearly again he took a good look at the man who was still standing beside the wall. He was smaller and stockier that himself, with short blond hair. A pair of goggles was placed upon his forehead and an unlit cigarette dangled from between his lips.

The blond man looked Vincent over as well as he slowly made his way over to him. Vincent took a few steps back as the other came closer, hand still resting on Cerberus. The blond stopped and raised his hands for a moment before dropping them. "I won't do anything, but I have to ask, what're you doin' here?

Vincent just looked at him for a few moments, saying nothing. "I was just curious." He finally said. "And the door was open." He turned his head a little, looking The Highwind over once more before bringing his attention back to the man in front of him. The man followed his gaze. "Yeah, she's pretty impressing. Name's Cig Highwind by the way." He said, extending a gloved hand.

Vincent just looked at the extended limb for several silent moments before withdrawing his hand from his gun and shaking Cid's hand. "Vincent Valentine." Vincent felt himself relax slightly as Cid nodded. It didn't look like the man knew what he was. "You're not from around here, are you?"

He shook his head. " No… not really." Cid nodded, grinning. "Good, 'cause this place is as boring as boring gets." Vincent couldn't help but smile a little at the remark.

"Before this, I had never seen a real airship. They're much larger than I would have expected." He had walked over to the craft and let his gloved fingers trail over the smooth surface. "Hmm, that's what most people say." Cid said, a thoughtful look in his blue eyes as he looked at The Highwind.

After a while Vincent made his way back over to Cid. " I should be going. Goodnight Cid."

" 'Kay. Should probably get some sleep as well." Cid replied. " 'Night Vince, and if ya want you can come over whenever you like." Vincent raised a hand as he was already on his way out.

Once outside he immediately headed towards the forest, turning once he got there and looking at the hangar. He shook his head softly as he began his trek home.

Cid waited a little before he went outside as well, just in time to see a red cloaked figure disappear between the trees. He pulled out his lighter and lit his cigarette as he leaned back against his hangar. 'Such an odd fella.' He thought. 'Wonder where he came from.'

_AN: Just another odd plotbunny that didn't want to let go. Valenwind this time. I've want to write a Valenwind fic for quite a while now but never had any real inspiration for one._

_Please tell me what you think of it._


	2. Chapter II

_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square Enix._

It had been a week since that man, Vincent Valentine had walked into his hangar. Somehow the thought of him didn't want to leave Cid. Who was he, and maybe more important, where had he come from. As far as Cid was concerned there wasn't a settlement within a two days radius, only old, gloomy forests. He hadn't looked like someone who lived in a forest, he had looked too well groomed, albeit maybe a bit odd, for that.

Then there was also the discovery he had made only yesterday. He had taken the Tiny Bronco out for a test flight after completely upgrading the little old thing, and what had he seen as he had been soaring through the air? A mansion. A big, old stone mansion hidden away in the depts of the forest. Was that were Vincent had come from? And if so, how come he had never noticed that mansion before during any of his earlier flights.

That night he had asked some of the villagers if they knew about a mansion in the woods. All the answer he got had been that no one had ever dared to go any further inside the forest than the edge. When he asked them why they said it was because the forest was haunted, that werewolves and vampires and demons resided within it. Cid had thanked them, rolled his eyes and went back home.

The blond shook his head as he thought back to the frightened looks he had seen in the people's eyes when they told him. Vampires, werewolves and demons. No, Cid Highwind did not believe in such nonsense. He tried to imagine Vincent as one of those creatures as he stepped outside and lit the cigarette hanging from his lips. Nah, if he had been he most likely would have eaten him or drank his blood instead of marvelling at the airships.

Contrary to popular belief Cid was actually very good at reading people, and he had seen not a glimmer of evil or bad intentions in those too big, bright red eyes. True, it was a pretty uncommon colour and he could understand how people might find that creepy, but all he had seen was the child-like wonder in them as he had gazed at the airships. Yet what had touched him the most was the sadness and loneliness he had seen in them as well. It had struck something inside him, as if he needed to help this man, and ever since he had been unable to get him out of his mind.

"Exactly who the fuck are ya, Vincent Valentine." He said to the woods, blue smoke wafting to the air.

- Ancient Pines –

Vincent let The Galian Beast run through the woods as he was drawn back in his own mind. It wasn't unusual for one of his lower demons to take over whenever he was nervous, frightened, angered or just needed to think. Today it was the latter, as it had been almost all week. He had been surprised by his behaviour whilst visiting the village, to say the least. He had been extremely nervous. Not only had he defied his father by leaving the house, he had also risked him and his father being found out for what they are and being killed. The sole thought of his father being killed just because he was curious made his blood go cold. It wasn't fair, the fact that they were judged by what they are, punished for the actions of others.

And then there was his meeting with Cid. He had thought that, as soon as he even caught glimpse of someone, he would either flee in fear of being found out or attack to prevent them from revealing him. Instead he had just stood there, frightened, yes, but he hadn't acted on the feeling. He had been too amazed by the sight of the airships to think about either fleeing or attacking. And then the blond had spoken to him, and he had replied. That was probably what had amazed him the most. He didn't usually say much, not even to his father, but talking to Cid had seemed so… easy. As if he had talked to him many, many times before already. It had been strange, still is. It was almost as if he had instinctively known that it was safe to talk to the pilot, that he could trust him. Maybe it had been his soft laughter, or the fire in those blue eyes, he really didn't know, and it bothered him, fascinated him even. The strangeness of it all.

He wanted to know, no, _needed_ to know. Just like his father Vincent possessed a great thirst for knowledge. He needed to unravel every mystery he came across, especially ones that concerned himself.

To engrossed in his own thoughts Vincent only now noticed how close to the village they were. Should he go have a quick look? After a few moments Vincent decided to go and took control of The Galian Beast. Not enough to change back into himself, but enough to control his actions. He directed the feral demon towards the edge of the forest, close to where he knew Cid's hangar was. He hid behind some bushes as he spotted the blond outside the hangar, smoking. For a while he stayed there and watched as dusk settled over the village.

Having finished his cigarette Cid looked towards the darkening sky and the gloomy forest once more before deciding to go back it. He still had some work to do on The Highwind he wanted to finish today.

Just when he was about to turn his back to the forest he froze.

Vincent's eyes widened just a bit as he saw the pilot freeze mid-movement. Quickly he pressed The Galian Beast's body to the ground, hoping he hadn't been seen.

Cid searched the forest for a few more moments before going inside. He thought he had seen a pair of luminous yellow eyes. Probably just some nocturnal forest dweller, he shrugged. Yet he couldn't help but think of what the other villagers had said. Right, werewolves. As if.

Making sure he had heard the door fall in the lock Vincent sat up again. His heart was racing as he turned and retreated back into the woods. Not long after he detected the scent of a lone deer on the wind. Something akin to a grin appeared on The Galian Beast's muzzle. Be it claws or gun, Vincent loved hunting. That and it would take his mind off of things for a while.

Excited, he slightly lessened his control on the lower demon and set about tracking the unsuspecting deer, weaving through the endless pine trees.

_AN: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, even despite having only one useful hand seeing as I accidentally cut the skin between two of my fingers on a shard of glass. Chapters may be a bit short until my hand is healed._

_JiLLiBeanz: Thanks a lot for the review. I hope this explains things a bit for you._


	3. Chapter III

_Disclaimer: All I own are six cats, one of which I named Sephiroth. Oh, and the plot._

Still in his Galian Beast form Vincent took the deer he had caught towards the mansion. Via a small backdoor he entered a small part of the basement which was solely used for the processing of dead animals. Changing back in his usual form Vincent grabbed a big hunting knife and started to skilfully skin the deer. Nothing useful was thrown away here in the Valentine household, seeing as their only provider was nature itself.

Having completely severed the skin from the meat he hung it up in awaiting of tanning. Turning back to the carcass he started to cut the meat from the bones, storing it away in another, cooler room. it was sort of strange, that one little chamber was always frigid, no matter how hot it may be in summer. A perfect storage room for perishables.

Most of the bones were thrown away, but the skull he kept. Those skulls were used as candelabras, to prevent the candle's wax from dripping on valuable surfaces. Putting the skull away to dry he started to prepare the mixture he would need to tan the deer skin. Smiling softly Vincent thought about how much he actually enjoyed this kind of work. It was strangely relaxing and took his mind off of whatever it was that was currently plaguing his mind. And it wasn't just the tanning and cutting up of meat. No, there was much more to do than that, but whatever he could scavenge from nature mostly depended on the season. Take summer for example; then he would go out in search of honey and wax for candles, as well as pluck the fruit of the many fruit-bearing trees and bushes.

Done with the tanning he stretched the skin over a rack to dry. This skin would probably be used as a replacement rug for his father's office, his current one almost falling apart.

Walking over to an ever present bowl of water he washed most of the gore and grime off his hands and arms before replacing the bloody water with fresh from the small stream nearby. Exiting the basement he thought about how he would need to use the skin of his next prey to repair some clothes. There was a reason why his dad's and his wardrobe almost solely existed out of leather.

Another thing he was mulling over in his head was the amount of monsters he had sensed in the woods. Lately he had noticed that the number of monsters had been steadily rising. And not just that, they seemed to make their dens and hunt much closer to the mansion and the village than usual. It was worrisome to say the least. Not only that it meant less game for his father and him to live on but also for the villagers. Vincent had no idea if they were aware of the proximity of the creatures and the treat they formed. Most likely there weren't any trained fighters residing in the village. Letting out a sigh the demon ran a hand through his raven locks. Well, he'd just have to patrol the grounds more often to make sure no monsters came too close to the village.

After shutting the massive wooden doors behind him Vincent headed towards the stairs. Right now he wanted nothing more than to soak in a nice hot bath, the discovery of a nearby underground warm water source had been pure luck, and a network of pipes his father and him had laid allowed the mansion to have warm running water. A true luxury in comparison to the cold river water they had been used to.

"Vincent?" Groaning he momentarily closed his eyes at the sound of his father's voice before turning around and heading towards the lab. "Coming, father." Wondering what Grimoire needed him for this time he walked through the office and into the lab. "Yes?"

Turning around Grimoire smiled at his son. "Ah, Vincent. You practically know every book in the library, right?" Vincent nodded at this. "That's about true." Nodding as well Grimoire walked over towards another table in the lab, this one filled with petri dishes. "I need you to find me every book you can find that deals with DNA, RNA, cell structure, hybrids, clones and heredity."

"I'll see what I can find." Vincent said softly, already running through all the books their library held in his head. "That's all I ask." Grimoire smiled, looking up briefly before moving over to a microscope. With a pair of tweezers he took something from inside one of the many petri dishes and placed it on the small glass plate, adding a few drops of water before covering it with a coverslip.

Coughing softly Vincent tried to regain his father's attention. "Would you mind if I take a bath first before I look for your books. I just brought in a deer, you see." He asked when the older male looked up. "Not at all. I was thinking about making some tea anyway, seeing as this here had to rest for bit." Nodding, Vincent turned around and left the lab.

After having reached the top of the stairs Vincent looked down, his ruby eyes dim with sadness. This, it was all his and his father's life was. This house and the surrounding woods. Grimoire thought he didn't notice it, but Vincent did. He noticed the sad look in his father's eyes but chose to remain silent. His father was a brilliant scientist, with equally brilliant en renewing ideas and theories. Like know. For the past few months Grimoire Valentine been fascinated by why every being looked like it did, and had the abilities it did. After he succeeded to isolate every separate gene he started experimenting with hybrids. He would take certain gene combinations from one species and combine them with those of several others.

Vincent was sure that his father had discovered several things already, he just wasn't able to share any of it with other scientists, ask their opinions and such.

He thought about this quite often. If he could he would do anything to give his father the acknowledgement he deserved, but alas, if he did that it would most likely result in their death.

He started to run a bath before going into his room to select some clean clothes. How was it that so few had succeeded to ruin the lives of so many.

- Ancient Pines –

A collection of books lay sprawled out on one of the small tables in the library. Vincent was up on a ladder, several more books piled in his arms already as he took out a few more. Descending he placed the books with the others. He checked off the titles in his head. Those were all the books they had that dealt with the subjects Grimoire had asked for. All except one. Now if he could only remember where it stood.

He ran a hand through his raven tresses as he looked up at the tall shelves. He knew where practically every book in this library was located, but this one he just couldn't find. It was an old books, that's for sure, much older than Grimoire even, and Vincent hadn't seen it for over a few decades.

As he was on his way to his father's office he suddenly remembered where the book was placed. Hurriedly he dropped the books on the desk and raced back upstairs and towards the library. He walked past the many shelves and towards the back end of the giant room. The library was probably the biggest room in the whole mansion, but it was also the cosiest. It was where Vincent, and a long time ago Grimoire, spend most of his time.

The back wall of the room was covered in heavy drapes. He pushed them aside to reveal cabinets and shelves filled with chests and boxes of varying sizes. On the shelve closest to the floor stood a big, metal chest, its sides engraved with intriguing patterns. Smiling softly Vincent opened it, revealing a collection of old tomes. After a bit of rummaging through its contents he pulled out a thick book. Its leather cover was worn, gilded lettering almost completely faded and the small metal lock rusted.

He ran a loving hand over the cover. He remembered the book from before they had to flee and go into hiding. He remembered sitting at his father's desk as a small child. His eyes had fallen on the big tome, and, being the curious child he was he had opened it, wondering what it was one could write so much about.

He remembered not understanding a thing of its contents, yet he hadn't closed the book. He had kept turning pages, thinking that maybe, if he tried hard enough he would understand.

Grimoire had smiled brightly at the sight he encountered. Little Vincent seated at his big, oak desk, reading the thick, complicated book, the tip of his pink tongue poking out from between his lips in concentration.

Ah, those good old times. Shaking his head softly he dismissed the happy memory. Closing the drapes again he turned tail and headed towards his father's office. Once there he saw his father looking through the books on his desk. He looked up when his son entered, a small smile appearing on his lips. "I remember that one. You used to sit at my desk, attempting to read it." Vincent nodded, smiling back. "Yes. I used to think that, if I tried hard enough, I would understand."

Grimoire shook his head as he walked over to his son. As he took the book out of Vincent's hand he placed a soft kiss on the raven's head. "How I miss those times." He murmured. "No need to run away and hide. To disguise our true selves." He straightened his back and gave his son a sad smile. "Time to get back to work." After grabbing some more books and stacking them in his arms he disappeared into the lab again, leaving Vincent alone in the office. "Me too, dad." He whispered before exiting.

_AN: Too much to do and so little time, and it doesn't help that I have the attention span of a goldfish. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but seeing as it was already written little bits at a time and with no time soon to simply sit down and write I decided to put it up._

_R&R. I love to hear your opinions. __^_^_


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